Breaking the Rules
by Super Reader
Summary: Lots of kids hope to be accepted into the Kids Next Door, but usually only 5 or 6 make it to actual operatives.  Number 50 of the 100 Theme Challenge.


**A/N: Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I hope you guys enjoy the story. Oh yeah. Many thanks to my beta, Numbuh 212, for helping me with this. Number 50 of the 100 Theme Challenge.**

**Disclaimer: I own Kids Next Door as much as I own the Leaning Tower of Piza, and we all know I don't own that. **

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Breaking the Rules**

Lots of kids hope to be accepted into the Kids Next Door, but usually only 5 or 6 make it to actual operatives. That's out of maybe 15. (With the increase in teenage ninjas, more kids had been bullied to stay away from the Kids Next Door, so recruits had dropped drastically.) Some kids get called home for one reason or another, others quit and still others just don't have it in them to be operatives.

What kills me, however, is the people who are justmade to be operatives and don't make the cut for some reason or another. Maybe they're too headstrong, maybe they're not good at strategy or maybe they're clumsy. Whatever the reason, they're shipped home and never approached again. You learn to turn your head away. You learn to ignore the sad looks directed at you.

It's the hardest for the operatives who know the kids personally and then have to send them away. That's what happened with me. I knew this kid and introduced him to the Kids Next Door and he loved it. Even Numbuh 274 said that he was good. But he wasn't good at following orders and liked to do things his own way. I suppose that that's what made him such a good operative, but according to Numbuh 30, they didn't need any operatives that couldn't or wouldn't obey their orders. This kid would be told in a couple days, right before graduation, that he wasn't going to be a KND member.

The only thing is… Numbuh 30 is a total gossip. She starts practically every single rumor in the Kids Next Door, so you have to be careful when you listen to her. She'd most likely be lying. However, if she wasn't wrong… then N**–** I mean this kid's life would be ruined. There was only one thing to do. I had to see if she was telling the truth. As I was doing it, I'd probably be breaking at least 15 rules but what the heck. I wasn't the type to get caught.

-KNDKNDKND-

"And so I told her, I'd totally appreciate it if she'd stop copying my hairstyle," Numbuh 30 said in an almost teenage**-**like tone. Numbuh 11 nodded as if she actually cared what the black-haired girl was saying but her younger sister saw right through her. Numbuh 5 knew that Numbuh 11 was trying not to fall asleep.

Numbuh 5herself couldn't hold back a yawn. Numbuh 30 and Numbuh 11 stopped talking and turned to look at the girl.

"Sleepy, Abby?" Cree asked sympathetically.

"Just a little," Abby muttered. It was her first few months in the Kids Next Door and she liked to pretend that she could keep up with the constant traveling, fighting and arguing even when she couldn't.

"Why don't you go to sleep? We can go back home tomorrow. You can have my bunk in my office," Cree asked, looking at her little sister. The sisters were currently visiting theArctic Base and should have left 2 hours ago, but had gotten held up by Numbuh 30.

"No thanks," Abby said firmly. "I'm staying up as long as you are."

"Well… ok," Cree said shrugging, before turning back to Numbuh 30. However, Numbuh 30's gaze stayed on the young operative.

"Say, I have some news that might interest you, Abby," she said almost slyly.

Abby turned her tired amber eyes on the girl and raised her eyebrows, as if to tell the gossip to continue.

"You know your friend, Nigel what's-his face?" Numbuh 30 asked.

"Uno. Nigel Uno," Abby said automatically.

"Yeah, him. I heard that he's gonna be kicked out of the Cadets for not obeying orders. Apparently he disobeyed Numbuh 50 by rescuing a kid when he should have been fighting the villain."

Abby frowned. "But that's not fair," She said. "He just did it to save the kid. Isn't that our main job anyway?"

"Maybe, but it's also our job to follow orders from our superiors. Moon Base doesn't need operatives who don't listen toorders," Numbuh 30 said, placing a hand on Abby's shoulder. Abby immediately shrugged it off.

"How are they going to explain this to him?" she asked, "I'm sure he passed all the tests."

Both Cree and Numbuh 30 shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm just telling you what I heard," Numbuh 30 said. Abby stood up.

"I've decided that I will go to sleep," she said coldly before turning on her heel and marching out of Numbuh 30's office.

"Abby!" Cree called after her, but Abby just continued on.

"It's completely and utterly unfair!" Abby muttered under her breath, causing many strange looks to be sent her way.

"I wonder howthey're going to explain this to Nigel… None of the Kids Next Door like those kinds of confrontations after what happened to that Charlie kid. They'll probably do it harshly, like lowering his score or something…"

Here Abby stopped dead. "That's it! They'll probably lower his score or something. That is… if Numbuh 30's right in the first place. She could be making up another fib… but if she's not? I'll just have to see for myself," Abby decided, changing her direction and heading for the main office. There shouldn't be anyonethere; it was after eleven o'clock at night after all.

Abby stuck her head around the main door and was relieved that there wasn't anyone there.

"Ok… the main computer should be through the door over there. And no alarms should go off, since I'm an operative. Right?" Abby asked herself closing the main door behind her. She crept quietly across the room and in seconds was in the computer room, where they had the test results for every single cadet.

Abby sat at the chair and started typing. In a few seconds she had hacked into the mainframe. She grinned. She knew Cree would someday regret teaching her how to hack. A list of cadets popped up, and Abby scrolled down to the U's.

"Bingo," she said as Uno, Nigel appeared right under a Sanban, Kuki. There weren't that many cadets this year, it seemed. Abby clicked on Nigel's name and his stats and score appeared on screen. Sure enough, Nigel had a score of 49. Too small to be normal. Abby had seen the British boy in action and knew that there was no way he could have scored a 49. 49 was just under the passing grade, in other words it was a D. Not high enough to get into the Kids Next Door, but not low enough to cause suspicion, unless you understood the main numbers.

Looking at Nigel's main stats, Abby scowled. His stats were almost identical to her own. An A in planning, a B in stealth, an A- in fighting and an A in leadership. She herself had gotten an A- in leadership, but an A in stealth. Those stats most certainly didn't equal 49. Someone had lowered the score so he wouldn't get in. Probably the drill sergeant, who expected to be obeyed immediately and without question, something Nigel Uno wasn't very good at.

She took a deep breath and slowly erased the 49. With firm taps on the keyboard she rewrote, 93 in the correct space. With her right hand she moved the mouse to the Save Changes button and clicked it. Changes Saved, flashed over the screen and she smiled, admiring her handiwork before shutting off the computer and exiting the room.

She hurried quickly to Cree's office, praying that her sister hadn't returned from her chat with Numbuh 30. Peeking around her sister's door she turned pale. Cree was sitting in a chair, facing the door, tapping her foot and crossing her arms. Abby gulped and entered the room. Cree looked at her with stern eyes.

"Um… hello." Abby said weakly.

"Abby I understand that you like exploring Arctic Base, but you really should keep your excursions to a minimum and preferably to the daytime" Cree said, sounding annoyed.

Abby hung her head but when she risked a glance she saw Cree's eyes sparkling and looking amused. Cree winked at Abby before standing up and pointing at the couch, the meaning obvious. Abby's face broke out into a smile and she jumped over to the couch.

_I may be breaking the rules here, but I feel good about it._ Abby thought before drifting off to sleep. 

**The End**

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**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that. Review if you want. **


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